Rent Companion (2025)

AI, Abuse, and a Marketing Malfunction - Companion review by griggs

Companion is a film that ambitiously attempts to explore weighty themes, but perhaps takes on more than it can fully develop. On the surface, it engages with AI and robotic ethics, but its real substance lies in its poignant examination of domestic abuse, coercion, control, and the morally murky intersection of self-defence and violence. These elements add depth and a sense of empathy, but the film’s tight 90-minute runtime doesn’t give them the space they deserve. Despite its ambition and moments of genuine tension, the trailer completely undermined my enjoyment, which inexplicably spoils the film’s major twist. Who thought that was a good idea? Keeping the reveal for the film itself would have made for a far more potent experience. In the end, Companion is an entertaining but frustrating watch, not a failure of technology or storytelling, but of poor marketing and bad decisions, made by humans.